The front seat passenger, a 54-year-old woman, has been airlifted to Canberra in a serious but stable condition.

Her injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Inspector Frank Brown of Cootamundra police said the crash occurred on the Olympic Highway, near the intersection with Burleigh Griffin Way, about 1.20am.

An eastern grey kangaroo, believed to have weighed about 80 kilograms, is thought to have emerged from behind a passing truck and crossed into the path of the hatchback and was subsequently struck.

Inspector Brown said the weight of the kangaroo shattered the windscreen and the animal came to rest on top of the driver and his front seat passenger.

The driver, a 28-year-old man from Young, suffered only minor injuries, including facial cuts from the broken windscreen.

The front passenger – the woman who was later airlifted – suffered facial and chest injuries.

She was trapped inside the car for a short time by the weight of the kangaroo, which did not survive the crash.

A rear seat passenger, a woman aged 66, was not seriously injured.

The driver and the rear seat passenger were taken to Young Hospital, while the front seat passenger was initially taken to Cootamundra Hospital in a serious but stable condition and later airlifted to Canberra Hospital.

The driver and rear passenger have been released from hospital.